The present invention relates generally to concrete forming equipment and, more particularly, to a uniquely configured disc dowel system that is specifically adapted to prevent relative vertical movement of adjacently disposed concrete slabs.
During construction of concrete pavement such as for sidewalks, driveways, roads and flooring in buildings, cracks may occur due to uncontrolled shrinkage or contraction of the concrete. Such cracks are the result of a slight decrease in the overall volume of the concrete as water is lost from the concrete mixture during curing. Typical contraction rates for concrete are about one-sixteenth of an inch for every ten feet of length. Thus, large cracks may develop in concrete where the overall length of the pavement is fairly large. In addition, the cracks may continue to develop months after the concrete is poured due to induced stresses in the concrete.
One of the most effective ways of controlling the location and direction of the cracks is to include longitudinal control joints or contraction joints in the concrete. Contraction joints are typically comprised of forms having substantially vertical panels that are positioned above the ground or subgrade and held in place utilizing stakes that are driven into the subgrade at spaced intervals. The forms act to subdivide or partition the concrete into multiple sections or slabs that allow the concrete to crack in straight lines along the contraction joint. By including contraction joints, the slabs may move freely away from the contraction joint during concrete shrinkage and thus prevent random cracking elsewhere.
In one system of concrete construction, forms are installed above the subgrade to create a checkerboard pattern of slabs. A first batch of wet concrete mixture is poured into alternating slabs of the checkerboard pattern. After curing, forms may be removed and the remaining slabs in the checkerboard pattern are poured from a second batch of concrete. Although effective in providing longitudinal contraction joints to prevent random cracking, the checkerboard system of concrete pavement construction is both labor intensive and time consuming due to the need to remove the forms and due to the waiting period between the curing of the first batch and the pouring of the second batch of concrete.
In another system of concrete construction known as monolithic pour technique, the pour joints are installed above the subgrade in the checkerboard pattern. However, all of the slabs of the checkerboard pattern are poured in a single pour thereby reducing pour time as well as increasing labor productivity. An upper edge of the forms then serves as a screed rail for striking off or screeding the surface of the concrete so that the desired finish or texture may be applied to the surface before the concrete cures. The pour joints, comprised of vertically disposed forms, remain embedded in the concrete and provide a parting plane from which the slabs may move freely away during curing. The pour joints additionally allow for horizontal displacement of the slabs caused by thermal expansion and contraction of the slabs during normal everyday use.
Unfortunately, vertical displacement of adjacent slabs may also occur at a joint due to settling or swelling of the substrate below the slab or as a result of vertical loads created by vehicular traffic passing over the slabs. The vehicular traffic as well as the settling or swelling of the subgrade may create a height differential between adjacent slabs. Such height differential may result in an unwanted step or fault in a concrete sidewalk or roadway or in flooring of a building creating a pedestrian or vehicular hazard. Furthermore, such a step may allow for the imposition of increased stresses on the corner of the concrete slab at the joint resulting in degradation and spalling of the slab. In order to limit relative vertical displacement of adjacent slabs such that steps are prevented from forming at the joints, a form of vertical load transfer between the slabs is necessary.
One system for limiting relative vertical displacement and for transferring loads between slabs is provided by key joints. In key joint systems, the form is configured to impart a tongue and groove shape to respective ones of adjacent slabs. Typically preformed of steel, such a key joint imparts the tongue and groove shape to adjacent slabs in order to allow for contraction and expansion of the adjacent slabs while limiting the relative vertical displacement thereof due to vertical load transfer between the tongue and groove. The tongue of one slab is configured to mechanically interact with the mating groove of an adjacent slab in order to provide reactive shear forces across the joint when a vertical load is place on one of the slabs. In this manner, the top surfaces of the adjacent slabs are maintained at the same level despite swelling or settling of the subgrade underneath either one of the slabs. Additionally, edge stresses of each of the slabs are minimized such that chipping and spalling of the slab corners may be reduced.
Although the key joint presents several advantages regarding its effectiveness in transferring loads between adjacent slabs, key joints also possess certain deficiencies that detract from their overall utility. Perhaps the most significant of these deficiencies is that the tongue of the key joint may shear off under certain loading conditions. Furthermore, the face of the key joint may spall or crack above or below the groove under load. The location of the shearing or spalling is dependent on whether the load is applied on the tongue side of the joint or the groove side of the joint. If the vertical load is applied on the tongue side, the failure will occur at the bottom portion of the groove. Conversely, if the vertical load is applied on the groove side of the joint, the failure will occur near the upper surface of the slab upon which the load is applied.
Shear failure of the tongue and groove may also occur due to opening of the key joint as a result of shrinkage of the concrete slab. As the key joint opens up over time, the groove side may become unsupported as the tongue moves away. Vertical loading of this unsupported concrete causes cracking and spalling parallel to the joint. Such cracking and spalling may occur rapidly if hard-wheeled traffic such as forklifts are moving across the joint. Another deficiency associated with key joint systems is related to the size, configuration and vertical placement of the tongue and groove within the key joint. If excessively large key joints are formed in adjacent slabs or if the tongue and groove are biased toward an upper surface of the slabs instead of being placed at a more preferable midheight location, spalls may occur at the key joint. Such spalls occurring from this type of deficiency typically run the entire length of the longitudinal key joint and are difficult to repair.
Other systems for limiting relative vertical displacement and for transferring loads between adjacent slabs involve methods of placing slip dowels within edge portions of the slabs across a pour joint as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,487,249, 5,678,952, 5,934,821, 6,210,070, 5,005,331, D419,700 and D459,205, each of which is issued to Shaw et al. Each one of these patents discloses various alternatives for installing slip dowels across the pour joint. The slip dowels are typically configured as smooth steel dowel rods that are placed within the edge portions in a manner such that the concrete slabs may slide freely along the slip dowels thereby permitting expansion and contraction of the slabs while simultaneously maintaining the slabs in a common plane and thus prevent unevenness or steps from forming at the joint. However, in order to function effectively, the slip dowels must be accurately positioned parallel within the adjoining concrete slabs. The positioning of the slip dowels in a non-parallel fashion prevents the desired slippage and thus defeats the purpose of the slip dowel system.
In addition, the individual dowel rods must be placed within one or both of the slabs in such a manner so as to permit unhindered slippage or movement of the dowel rod within the cured concrete slab(s). Unfortunately, because such slip dowels must be perfectly aligned in order to allow the adjacent concrete slabs to slide freely away from the joint, installation of slip dowels is labor intensive. In addition, slip dowels allow movement of the concrete slabs in one direction only (i.e., normal to the joint) while not permitting any lateral movement of the slabs (i.e., parallel to the joint) which may result in cracking of the slabs outside of the joint. Furthermore, because the dowel rods are extended outwardly from each side of the joint prior to pouring of the concrete and because of their relatively small diameter, the dowel rods present a safety hazard to personnel who may be injured by contact with rough, exposed ends of the dowel rods. Finally, such dowel rods may be accidentally bent as a result of contact with equipment and site traffic during construction resulting in misalignment of the dowel rods and locking of the joint.
In an effort to alleviate the labor intensive installation and inherently hazardous nature of the above-described slip dowel system as well as allow the slabs to move both normally and laterally relative to the joint, a diamond plate dowel system has been developed for limiting relative vertical displacement and for transferring loads between slabs. The diamond plate dowel system is typically comprised of a pocket former that is attached to a side of a concrete form such as a wooden form. The pocket former is configured such that opposing corners of the diamond plate are aligned with the joint. After pouring the slab on one side of the joint which encases the pocket therein, a diamond shaped plate is inserted into the pocket former immediately prior to pouring the abutting slab on the opposite side of the joint. The diamond plate allows the slabs to move unrestrained both normally and laterally relative to the form as the gap between the slabs opens up. In addition, the diamond pate has increased surface area as compared to dowel placement systems. The surface are of the diamond plate is also oriented as it is widest where the maximum shear and bearing loads are the greatest (i.e., along the joint) and narrowest where the loads on the diamond plate are at a minimum (i.e., away from the joint).
Unfortunately, the diamond plate dowel system suffers from several inherent drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is related to the orientation of the diamond plate which, as was earlier mentioned, is at its widest point along the joint and which tapers to a point at a distance away from the joint. Although such orientation may provide certain load-bearing benefits regarding relative vertical displacement of the adjacent slabs, the same orientation also creates certain drawbacks during lateral displacement of the slabs. Ideally, when the slabs are disposed in abutting relationship with one another at the joint, the perimeter edge of the diamond plate is also disposed in abutting or nearly-abutting contact with the interior compartment of the pocket former within which the diamond plate is slidably disposed. However, when the adjacent slabs move laterally away from one another (i.e., in opposite directions away from the joint to create a gap between the slabs), a spacing develops the perimeter of the diamond plate and the interior compartment increases.
As the slabs move further away from one another (i.e., the amount of laterally opposing displacement increases), the spacing proportionately increases between the perimeter of the diamond plate and the interior of the pocket former. Unfortunately, the increase in such spacing allows the slabs to move sideways relative to one another (i.e., along the joint) which, in turn, may result in the creation of gaps at joints between other slabs. In a concrete walkway or roadway system that is comprised of a checkerboard system of many slabs each having criss-crossing joints, the development of gaps at the numerous cross-crossing joints may create pedestrian or vehicular hazards. In addition, the aesthetics of the concrete walkway or roadway system deteriorates over time with the unsightly creation of gaps at the joints.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a dowel system capable of minimizing laterally sideways displacement (i.e., along the joint) of adjacent concrete slabs while allowing for laterally opposing displacement (away from the joint) of the slabs. Furthermore, there exists a need for a dowel system that may be readily installed within adjacent concrete slabs and which is configured to maintain the slabs in a common plane while allowing for laterally opposing movement of the slabs. Finally, there exists a need for a dowel system of simple and low cost construction and which may be easily installed with a minimum of labor and which does not present a safety hazard during installation.